Why Did They Put It In Captivity :(

[JustKia]

They didn't go and dredge the shark up with the intent of keeping it in captivity.
The shark came up naturally, so was likely ill or dying anyway.
They then took it into captivity where it died, but was able to have been observed and now preserved instead of decaying or eaten in the ocean.

As these creatures live so deep it's not so easy to observe them in their natural habitat, not to re-create such a habitat.
But surfice to say a healthy frilled shark wasn't going to have made it's way into shallow waters.
I don't believe they come into shallow waters to give birth either. Their bodies are designed to withstand the immense pressures of the very deep waters in which they live.
Being in the shallows may have hastened it's death but I'd be fairly sure it wasn't going to live long, captured or not and that's why it was found in shallow waters.

Fascinating creature though.
I could be way off base here, I'm no frilled shark expert LOL, but to me it looked old and stiff with it's body kept in the curved position,although it seemed quite able to move the caudal to swim almost effortlessly.
I'd love to see a docu done on these in the natural habitat, maybe discovery can come up with the funds one day?

 

[OohFeeshy]

still ... cant they film it in the sea

Not really. Not only is it pretty tricky to get down that far, the sea is, well, pretty big, so actually finding anything specific is very hard indeed. And you still can't find out a whole lot from just filming.

However, with a (now deceased) shark, you can try to find out things like what it eats, how to tell apart the sexes, how long they live, how large they grow, how they reproduce, which species they're similar to, and so on.

 

[Floyds mum]

still ... cant they film it in the sea

Not really. Not only is it pretty tricky to get down that far, the sea is, well, pretty big, so actually finding anything specific is very hard indeed. And you still can't find out a whole lot from just filming.

However, with a (now deceased) shark, you can try to find out things like what it eats, how to tell apart the sexes, how long they live, how large they grow, how they reproduce, which species they're similar to, and so on.

Why? i mean we dont need to find that out, it has no purpose for us, we could just leave it be esp if it stays deep under the sea.
Does look wierd tho

 

[Darkerwhite2]

still ... cant they film it in the sea

Not really. Not only is it pretty tricky to get down that far, the sea is, well, pretty big, so actually finding anything specific is very hard indeed. And you still can't find out a whole lot from just filming.

However, with a (now deceased) shark, you can try to find out things like what it eats, how to tell apart the sexes, how long they live, how large they grow, how they reproduce, which species they're similar to, and so on.

Why? i mean we dont need to find that out, it has no purpose for us, we could just leave it be esp if it stays deep under the sea.
Does look wierd tho

I agree with both sides here, yes we can learn all this stuff now. But i see no need for it unless it's going to cure world hunger and bring world peace. Even if it could do both those things I'm sure we'd find a way to screw it up. IMHO It's harsh i know but i believe greater mankind are the equivalent to ignorant squirrels.

 

[JustKia]

That's opinion though - which is fine.
It's just that different things interest different people.
I personally love to understand how creatures have evolved over long periods of time, especially those that are still "pre-historic" in appearance.
Think of those who have expert knowledge of say various insects or arachnids.
Also understanding how these creatures live - food, breeding, etc can help to protect them should they become endangered (although humankind isn't always the best at protecting endangered species I know).
I guess it sort of comes down to the fact the the shark was most likely going to die anyway if it was left where it was found, so rather than waste the shark and let it become fodder for something else, the opportunity to study such a rare beast was taken.

 

[OohFeeshy]

it has no purpose for us

You'd be suprised. Things relevant to us (and not only in a researchy kind of way) can be found everywhere. It could turn out, for example (OK, it won't, but it's the sort of thing I mean) that this species has skin adapted to deal with the low undersea temperatures in a completely new way, giving scientists the chance to develop it artificially and give a whole new way of Arctic expedition in faux shark-skin suits.

Oh, also, it's extremely unlikely that they were ever intending to keep it alive. Just because Japan has a reputation for whaling, doesn't mean their marine biologists are underqualified. They aren't idiots, with current technology there's no way they would even think they would be able to keep it in a tank for the public to gawp at.